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Australind (train)

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Australind
An Australind at Bunbury in January 2014
Overview
Service typePassenger train
StatusOperational
LocaleSouth West Western Australia
First service24 November 1947
Current operator(s)Transwa
Former operator(s)WAGR (1947-1975)
Westrail (1975-2000)
WAGR Commission (2000-2003)
Route
TerminiPerth
Bunbury
Stops13
Distance travelled167 kilometres
Average journey time2 hours 30 minutes
Service frequencyTwice daily
Train number(s)9/10
Line(s) usedArmadale Line, South Western Railway, Western Australia
Technical
Rolling stockADP/ADQ class railcars
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map
Map

The Australind is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa on the South Western Railway between Perth and Bunbury.

History

The Australind departs Perth in March 1986 hauled by an X class

The Australind service began on 24 November 1947 and was hauled initially by U class steam locomotives.[1] With an average speed of 63 km/h (39 mph), it was the fastest narrow gauge passenger train in Australia.[2] It was named to commemorate the city of that name envisioned by Marshall Waller Clifton on Leschenault Inlet 100 years previously. The current hamlet of Australind, a satellite town of Bunbury, has never had a passenger rail service, nor even a railway line.

In February 1958, X class diesel locomotives took over. The service was relaunched on 1 October 1960 with onboard catering removing the need for an elongated stop at Pinjarra. On 16 November 1987, the current ADP/ADQ class railcars took over the service reducing journey times to 2 hours 30 minutes.[3][4][5][6]

Rolling stock

Original livery
2003 refurbished livery
2007 refurbished livery

When introduced, the train consisted of new carriages built by the Midland Railway Workshops.[4] In August 1985, Westrail awarded Comeng, Bassendean a contract for five Westrail ADP/ADQ class railcars, three ADPs with driving cabs and two ADQs, using a similar body shell and interior fitout to the New South Wales XPT carriages.[7] Each carriage was powered by a Cummins KTA19 coupled to a Voith transmission. They usually operate as a three or four carriage set. Five carriage set operation is not possible due to the limited platform length available at Perth station.[5]

In July 2003, the DMUs were painted in a new livery in line with the formation of Transwa. In 2007, the DMUs were painted white as part of a refurbishment program. In 2010/11, new seats were fitted.[8] Six new Alstom built railcars are scheduled to be delivered in 2022.[9][10]

Route

The Australind departs from Perth traversing the metropolitan Armadale line to Armadale, then the South Western Railway to Bunbury.[11]

Stations

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Australind - Fast Day Train to Bunbury". Kalgoorlie Miner. 26 November 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  2. ^ Gunzburg, Adrian (1984). A History of WAGR Steam Locomotives. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 128. ISBN 0-9599690-3-9.
  3. ^ Gray, Bill; May, Andrew (2006). A History of WAGR Passenger Carriages. Perth: Bill Gray. pp. 183, 312, 314. ISBN 0-646-45902-3.
  4. ^ a b Higham, Geoffrey (2007). Marble Bar to Mandurah: A history of passenger rail services in Western Australia. Bassendean: Rail Heritage WA. pp. 111, 113, 119. ISBN 978-0-9803922-0-3.
  5. ^ a b Dunn, John C. (2013). "Perth-Bunbury Railcars". Comeng: A History of Commonwealth Engineering Volume 5, 1985-2012. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 113–122. ISBN 9781925078046.
  6. ^ "Australind Timetable" (PDF). Transwa. Public Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Western Australia" Railway Digest September 1985 page 279
  8. ^ Annual Report June 2011 Public Transport Authority
  9. ^ Made in WA: Metronet railcars to be proudly built in WA Minister for Transport 18 August 2019
  10. ^ Alstom to supply next generation of EMUs to Perth Metro Report International 20 August 2019
  11. ^ "Our fleet". Public Transport Authority. Perth, WA: Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2015.